EP1219224B1 - Device for moistening and wringing a mop - Google Patents

Abstract

The mop pail (5) is fitted with a pump (8) and spray (12) for wetting the mop and rollers (9, 10) for wringing it out. The water wrung out is fed into a zone (18) at the base of the pail and flows into an outlet zone (19) over a sedimentation tray (7) which collects solids in it.

Description

The invention relates to a device having a device for moistening a wiping part of a wet mop with a liquid and a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying the wiping part, wherein the deprived of the wiping liquid is passed from the dehumidifier in an inflow region of a container, out of which the liquid for humidification is removed, and wherein at the bottom of the container, a sedimentation compartment for separating solids contained in the liquid is arranged.

The term wet wiper refers to all the cleaning devices which have an absorbent wiping part which can be impregnated with a liquid and, when moist, can be guided over the surfaces or objects to be cleaned. The liquid used is generally water, if appropriate with additives. Known embodiments of wet mops are, for example, mops and wiping pads, which have a fringed or flat wiping part, which is attached to the end of a stem. Usually, such dampers are used together with a container for receiving liquid, wherein the container usually has a manual dehumidifier, with which the wiping part can be pressed or wrung out. For cleaning, the wet mop is usually dipped with its wiper first moistening in the liquid, then dehumidified to achieve a desired humidity for cleaning moisture and passed over the object to be cleaned or the surface to be cleaned. Subsequently, the wiping part is immersed in the liquid, there to rinse the recorded dirt, wherein the wiping part is moistened again.

Disadvantageously, in the course of the cleaning process, the liquid accumulates with the dirt picked up by the wiping part, the wiping part picking up part of the dirt each time it is immersed in the liquid. Since in this case the wiping part is already soiled before wiping and accordingly has a reduced cleaning effect, the liquid is usually replaced as soon as it has absorbed a certain amount of dirt.

Therefore, machines for moistening and dehumidifying wipes and mops of the type mentioned in the introduction are already known (US Pat. DE 22 27 554 A1 ). For wetting and dehumidifying, such wipes and mops must be pulled by hand from the wet mop and laboriously clamped in the device before they can be cleaned, moistened and dehumidified there. This complication should not make the use of such known humidifying and dehumidifying devices just become popular.

The invention has for its object to provide a device for moistening and dehumidifying a wiper part of a wet mop with the long-term better cleaning effect can be achieved for a given amount of liquid.

According to the invention this object is achieved according to the characterizing part of claim 1, characterized in that the container has a Ausströmbereich for the removal of liquid for moistening, which is feasible to the moistening, wherein the Sedimentationsabteil is disposed between the inflow and the outflow and the moistening on a guide is arranged in the direction of movement of the carrier plate through the guide before the dehumidifier for a carrier plate connected to the wiping part. Advantageous developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

Only by the application of a support plate on which the wiper member is attached and which is passed through the guide, a treatment of the wiper member is possible, which is characterized first by the cleaning and then by the dehumidification, so that after dehumidification no more pollution remains on the wiping part.

By introducing the liquid obtained during dehumidifying into an inflow region into the container and removing the liquid in an outflow region of the container, the preconditions are created in order to be able to deposit even fine dirt in the sedimentation compartment of the container.

One or more baffles can form a labyrinth in the inflow area, there to reduce the inflow velocity of the liquid and thus create a quiet flow in Sedimentationsabteil. As an impact body, for example, a transversely arranged to the liquid flow surface may be used, are arranged in the openings for the slow passage of the liquid. The separation capacity of the sedimentation compartment is significantly influenced by its size, so that a large sedimentation compartment with a high separation efficiency can be created with a large distance between inflow area and outflow area.

In order to increase the separation efficiency in the sedimentation compartment, its bottom can have recesses in which the dirt can deposit better, the recesses being formed, in particular, by grooves extending transversely to the direction of flow. The deposition of dirt particles can also be improved by elevations such as low partitions, which are arranged transversely to the flow direction between inflow and outflow.

In a meandering guidance of the liquid flow in serpentine lines, the separating ability for dirt particles at the points at which the liquid flow is deflected, further amplified by the centrifugal force. The liquid flow can be guided in vertical or horizontal serpentine lines. In a vertical guide, the dirt particles will settle especially at the lower deflection points. The outflow area is advantageously arranged above the last upwardly guided flow section in the case of a vertical meander-shaped guidance of the flow, wherein in the upwardly directed flow sections additional, the deposition of dirt particles favoring Body can be arranged. For example, a lamella separator may be arranged in the last upwardly guided liquid section.

The filter effect of the device can be further improved by filters that can be provided in the course of the liquid flow to the inflow and / or behind the outflow in any number.

If the bottom of the sedimentation compartment is removable, the cleaning can be substantially simplified, in which way the deposited dirt can also be removed without the liquid having to be drained from the container. In this case, only the part of the sedimentation compartment can be removable in which dirt preferably settles. Thus, for example, the liquid flow can be deflected shortly before the outflow from bottom to top, so that settles in this deflection dirt and be provided below the discharge a removable bottom part, for example in the form of a shell.

For dehumidification, the known manual devices can also be used, as long as the resulting liquid is passed through corresponding liquid lines in a defined inflow region of the container. Such dehumidifiers may be for example presses for squeezing wiping pads or mops or also provided with openings downwardly tapering truncated cones, in which a pressed-in from above with rotation mop can be wrung out.

The moistening of the wiping part can take place by means of a pump, which removes liquid in a defined outflow region of the container and conducts it to the wiping part. In this case, the pump can also be set up so that it can be manually actuated by pressure with the wet mop. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to provide the container with means that allow immersion of the wet mop only at a certain point, so that it forms the outflow area. Another embodiment is to arrange a discharge valve, which is connected to the outflow within the container below the liquid level outside the container and which can be opened from the outside, for example by pressure with the wiper.

Advantageously, the moistening device is a spray nozzle fed by the pump, which can extend substantially transversely to the direction of movement, in which the wiping part can be moved by a drive device. In this case, the spray nozzle at the edges have a higher and / or greater output of liquid. Furthermore, the spray nozzle can be pivoted back and forth during wetting in order to increase the mechanical action and thus cleaning effect on the wiper part.

In order to moisten or rinse the wiping part over its entire width, several juxtaposed and directed against the wiping nozzle nozzles can be used. Another possibility is to provide at least one nozzle whose jet is directed onto a deflection surface, which fans out the jet and directs it against the wiping part.

The dehumidifying of the wiping part can be carried out with a dehumidifying device arranged above the container, so that the dehumidified liquid can optionally be directed into an inflow region after passing through a filter, wherein the dehumidification advantageously takes place by pressing between two rollers, the motor drive also can be used to move through the wiper part.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Schnittansicht durch die erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung zum Befeuchten und Entfeuchten eines Wischteils zusammen mit dem unteren Teil eines Feuchtwischers,

Fig. 2

die Entfeuchtungs- bzw. Antriebseinrichtung der Vorrichtung aus Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

die Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 1 beim Be- und Entfeuchten des Wischteils und

Fig. 4 bis Fig. 7

verschiedene Ausführungsformen für das Sedimentationsabteil in der Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 1.

Embodiments of the invention are shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. Show it

Fig. 1

a schematic sectional view through the device according to the invention for moistening and dehumidifying a wiper member together with the lower part of a wet mop,

Fig. 2

the dehumidifying or driving device of the device Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3

the device according to Fig. 1 when moistening and dehumidifying the wiper part and

Fig. 4 to Fig. 7

various embodiments for the Sedimentationsabteil in the device according to Fig. 1 ,

In Fig. 1 left a wet mop 1 is shown in the form of a wiping pad, which has a support plate 2, which is hinged at the bottom of a partially illustrated stem, the support plate 2 below an absorbent wiper part 3 preferably made of textile material. Right in Fig. 1 a device 4 for moistening and dehumidifying the wiping part 3 is shown. The device has a container 5 for receiving a liquid 6 used for cleaning. The upper opening of the container 5 is closed by an intermediate bottom 17, to which the necessary for the humidification and dehumidification of the wiping member 3 components are attached.

Above the intermediate floor 17 guides 13 for the support plate 2 and the wiping part 3 and opposite rollers 9, 10 are arranged on vertical supports. In this case, the lower roller 10 is provided with an elastic covering and connected to a motor 16 for driving in the direction of rotation. The distance between the rollers 9, 10 is dimensioned so that the wiping member 3 is pressed together when passing along with the support plate 2 and dehumidified in this way. To the left of the rollers 9, 10 is further arranged an upward spray nozzle 12, which can be supplied by a pump 8 with liquid 6. With the help of the spray nozzle 12, the wiping member 3 can be flushed out or moistened when passing through the device 4. The guides 13 to the left of the rollers 9, 10 furthermore have a switch 14, which responds to the insertion of the wiping part 3 and in particular to the presence of the wiping part 3 in a region in which at least a portion of the wiping part 3 is detected by the spray nozzle 12 can be. To reduce the effort required, the roller 10 and the pump 8 can be driven by a single motor. In this case, however, an independent control of the spray nozzle 12 can be achieved by a controllable valve is provided in the nozzle supplying the spray nozzle.

The pump 8 sucks the liquid 6 via a hose 11 in an outflow region 19 out of the container 5. For this purpose, the lower end of the hose 11 is firmly fixed in the outflow region 19 of the container 5.

The liquid 6 obtained during the dehumidification or during the pressing out of the wiping part 3 by the rollers 9, 10 flows on top of the intermediate bottom 17 to a filter 15. After passing through the filter 15, the liquid 6 is passed from a flow guide surface 22 to an inflow region 18 which is arranged at the left edge of the container 5 opposite the discharge area 19.

Between the inflow region 18 and the outflow region 19 there is a sedimentation compartment 7. The sedimentation compartment 7 has a removable bottom part which has grooves which extend transversely to the liquid flow direction between inflow region 18 and outflow region 19. The sedimentation compartment 7 is delimited both to the inflow region 18 and to the outflow region 19 by low vertical dividing walls, which terminate below the liquid level and between which the removable bottom part can be inserted. In this case, the low partition in the region of the inflow region 18 serves to slow down the inflowing liquid 6, so that the liquid 6 flows through the sedimentation compartment 7 to the outflow region 19 in as even a flow as possible in order to promote the deposition of dirt particles on the removable bottom part.

In a further development, the flow guide surface 22 itself can serve as a sedimentation compartment in that it is provided on the surface with depressions in which dirt particles settle when the liquid 6 drips down. Advantageously, an upper portion of the flow guide 22 is used as an upstream Sedimentationsabteil and designed this section removable. In particular, this removable portion can be attached to the filter 15 so that it can be removed for cleaning together with the filter 15. As depressions may be provided, for example, transverse to the direction of drainage grooves.

In Fig. 2 the dehumidifying device is shown, which is formed by the rollers 9, 10 together with the motor 16 and at the same time serves to drive the carrier plate 2 together with the wiping part 3. The roller 10 extends over the entire width of the wiper member 3 and presses the wiping member 3 when passing against the rigid support plate 2, which in turn is supported with its edges against the two pinch rollers 9. Between the two pinch rollers 9 there is a gap in the axial direction, through which the stem of the Wet mop 1 can be passed. The two rollers 9 are coaxial with each other and mounted parallel to opposite roller 10.

In Fig. 3 the device is shown in operation. As soon as the wiping part 3 is introduced into the guides 13, the switch 14 is actuated, whereupon both the motor 16 of the drive or dehumidifying device and the pump 8 are actuated. By the pump 8 liquid 6 is sucked in from the discharge area 19 and sprayed through the spray nozzle 12 upwards, so that the wiping part in the lead over it is rinsed from below and moistened. As soon as the wiping part 3 with the carrier plate 2 reaches the rollers 9, 10, it is grasped by these rollers 9, 10 and pulled through. In this case, the wiping part 3 is pressed together and the previously injected liquid 6 is pressed out. The liquid 6 flows on the intermediate bottom 17 to the filter 15, through it and from the flow guide 22 into the inflow region 18. On the way from the inflow region 18 to the outflow region 19, dirt particles are deposited in the sedimentation compartment 7 by sedimentation.

A control, not shown, of the device 4 is set up so that the pump 8 and the motor 16 of the drive device remain activated for a while, when the switch 14 is no longer activated by the wiping part 3. This ensures that the wiping member 3 is pulled completely through the device 4 together with the support plate 2. It can also be provided that after the switch 14 is no longer activated by the wiping part 3, the pump 8 remains activated for a shorter time than the motor 16 of the drive means, since the rear end of the wiping part 3, the spray nozzle 12 happens earlier than that Rolls 9, 10.

In the Fig. 4 to 7 Further embodiments of the sedimentation compartment 7 are shown. The sedimentation compartment 7 in Fig. 4 is already corrugated in the inflow 18 and has in the outflow 19 a recess in which the liquid flow is first down and then in the suction hose 11 back up, so that even in this depression sedimentation of dirt particles takes place. In Fig. 5 is shown as an impact body 20 in the inflow 18 a curved perforated plate. Through the openings, the liquid 6 flows slowed into the Sedimentationsabteil 7, which consists of an inclined and grooved surface, at the end of a partition is arranged, before settling the dirt particles. The liquid 6 flows over the dividing wall into the outflow region 19.

In Fig. 6 a vertical meander-shaped liquid flow is shown, which is guided by partitions 21 in front of the Ausströmbereich 19 first from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. The flow direction reversal below the right flow baffle 21 causes the sedimentation of dirt particles into the region between the left flow baffle 21 and the right wall of the container 5, whereby dirt particles also settle in the area to the left of the left baffle 21. In Fig. 7 the sedimentation compartment has an inclined, smooth surface, at the end of which a rounded elevation is arranged shortly before the outflow region 19, by means of which turbulence in the liquid flow is reduced and a swirling up of already deposited dirt can be prevented.

The device 4 may further comprise a removable splash guard, which allows the insertion of the wet mop 1, wherein the device 4 may be arranged so that a control of the motor 16 and / or the pump 8 only with attached splash guard. The splash guard has a passage with a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the lower part of the wet mop 1 with the wiping part 3. To seal the gap in the passage, a seal in the form of rubber lips or rows of bristles may be provided.

In a development, the roller 10 can be driven in two opposite directions of movement, in each of which a switch for detecting the wiping part 3 in front of the drive means 9, 10, 16 is arranged, wherein the drive means 9, 10, 16 is arranged such that they Wiping part 3 each of which the wiping part 3 detecting switch moves to itself, wherein the spray nozzle 12 is activated only when the switch is activated by the wiping part 3, which is located on the same side of the rollers 9, 10 as the spray nozzle 12. Thus, the wiping part 3 can be further dehumidified with the spray nozzle 12 switched off without moistening by being guided from the other side through the device 4.

Furthermore, the device 4 may have a device for detecting the filling level of the container 5. The level can be displayed to the outside, so that a Operator can inform about the level, in addition to under or exceeding limit values, an optical and / or acoustic signal can be issued. Furthermore, the detected level in the control of the device 4 can be taken into account, for example, by operating at too low or too high level is prevented or the pump 8 is operated at low level with lower power in order not to lower the level in operation so far.

Claims (14)

1. Device with equipment (8, 12) for moistening a wiper part (3) of a mop (1) with a liquid (6) and moisture removal equipment (9, 10) for moisture removal from the wiper part (3), wherein the liquid (6) extracted by the moisture removal equipment (9, 10) from the wiper part is conducted into an inflow region (18) of a container (5), from which the liquid (6) can be removed for the moistening, and wherein a sedimentation compartment (7, 21) for separation of solids contained in the liquid (6) is arranged at the base of the container (5), characterised in that the container (5) has an outflow region (19) for extraction of liquid for moistening, which can be supplied to the moistening equipment (8, 12), that the sedimentation compartment (7, 21) is arranged between the inflow region (18) and the outflow region (19) and that the moistening equipment (8, 12) is arranged at a guide (13) for a carrier plate (2), which is connected with the wiper part (3), in front of the moisture removal equipment (9, 10) in the direction of movement of the carrier plate through the guide (13).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the moisture removal equipment has opposing rollers (9, 10) of which at least one (10) is drivable in rotational direction and between which the wiper part (3) can be squeezed for forward movement and moisture removal.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a deflector body (20) for reducing the inflow speed of the liquid (6) is arranged in the inflow region (18) of the container (5).
4. Device according to claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the inflow region (18) and the outflow region (19) are arranged at opposite ends of the container (5).
5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the base of the sedimentation compartment (7) has depressions.
6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised by a withdrawable part forming the base of the sedimentation compartment (7).
7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the base of the sedimentation compartment has an elevation between inflow region (18) and outflow region (19).
8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the flow of the liquid (6) between inflow region (18) and outflow region (19) is guided in meanderform by flow guide bodies (21).
9. Device according to claim 8, characterised in that the flow of the liquid (6) is guided alternately downwards and upwards and the outflow region (19) is arranged above the last flow section led upwardly.
10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the liquid (6) is conducted through a filter (15) before entry into the inflow region (18) and/or after extraction from the outflow region (19).
11. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the filter (15) is arranged in front of the inflow region (18) in the flow direction of the liquid (6) and is formed to be withdrawable and a sedimentation compartment, which is fastened to the filter (15) and can be withdrawn together therewith, is arranged behind the filter (15) in flow direction.
12. Device according to claim 11, characterised in that the sedimentation compartment fastened to the filter (15) serves as a flow guide surface in order to conduct the liquid (6) from the filter (15) to a deeper region of the container (5).
13. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the moistening equipment comprises a slot nozzle (12) for the liquid (6), which nozzle can be supplied with liquid (6) by a pump (8), wherein the inlet of the pump (8) opens into the outflow region (1).
14. Device according to claim 12 and 13, characterised in that the pump (8) and the drive device (10) can be driven by a motor (16).

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